The photolithography process in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device is usually performed, for example, using a coating and developing treatment apparatus. The coating and developing treatment apparatus includes, for example, a transfer-in/out section for transferring in/out the substrate, a treatment section in which a plurality of treatment units for performing various kinds of treatments such as a resist coating treatment, a developing treatment, a thermal treatment, and so on are arranged, and an interface section for delivering the substrate between the treatment section and an aligner, in a casing. Further, the coating and developing treatment apparatus includes a plurality of transfer units for transferring the substrate between the sections and between the treatment units, for example, in the casing.
Then, during the normal operation of the above-described coating and developing treatment apparatus, a plurality of substrates transferred into the transfer-in/out section are sequentially transferred by the transfer units into the treatment section, and a predetermined treatment is performed for each of the substrates in each of the treatment units in the treatment section, such as the resist coating treatment, thermal treatment and so on. Thereafter each substrate is transferred via the interface section into the aligner where the substrate is subjected to exposure processing, and then returned into the treatment section where the substrate is subjected to predetermined treatments such as the developing treatment and so on and then returned to the transfer-in/out section.
Incidentally, if a trouble such as a breakdown occurs in the treatment unit in operation in the above-described coating and developing treatment apparatus, it is necessary to stop the coating and developing treatment apparatus and repair the broken treatment unit. In this event, many substrates remain in the coating and developing treatment apparatus. These substrates have been collected to the transfer-in/out section, for example, by collection operation manipulated by an operator in order to return the coating and developing treatment apparatus into a normal state and resume the normal substrate treatment (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
However, if a trouble occurs when a plurality of substrates are under treatment in a single processing manner in the above-described coating and developing treatment apparatus, the substrates are in various states. For example, in the developing unit, a developing solution may be placed on the front surface of the substrate. Besides, in the thermal treatment unit, the substrate may be raised to a high temperature. If the substrates in such unexpected various states are collected, for example, the transfer unit and the delivery unit for delivering the substrate which are used for collection are contaminated with the developing solution on the substrate or thermally affected by the substrate at the high temperature. Therefore, even after solution of the trouble, the transfer unit and the delivery unit in the coating and developing treatment apparatus may be contaminated or unstable in temperature to adversely affect the substrate treatment after resumption. Further, if maintenance of the transfer unit and the delivery unit is performed to prevent such effects, it takes a long time from the occurrence of trouble to return of the coating and developing treatment apparatus into a normal state and resume the substrate treatment, resulting in reduced substrate production efficiency.
[Patent Document]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H9-17838